Crash of a Nord 2501 Noratlas in Djibouti: 36 killed

Date & Time: Feb 3, 1982 at 0730 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
140
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Djibouti - Djibouti
MSN:
140
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
32
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
36
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Djibouti City on a local paratroopers training mission. While flying by night, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Garbi (1,700 meters high) located northwest of Assal Lake. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact and all 36 occupants were killed, among them seven officers, five non-commissioned officers, one Navy officer, 23 Corporals and legionaries.
Crew:
Cmd Dalmasso,
Cmd Couillaud,
Cpt Taddéï,
Cpt Demange.

Crash of a Nord 2501D Noratlas near Shell Mera: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 24, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HC-AXK
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
137
YOM:
1957
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances while approaching Shell Mera-Río Amazonas Airport. Both pilots were killed.

Crash of a Nord 2501 Noratlas near Prémian: 32 killed

Date & Time: Nov 25, 1977 at 0230 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
182/F-RABR
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Mont-de-Marsan - Hyères
MSN:
182
YOM:
1960
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
28
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
32
Circumstances:
At 1000LT on November 24, the airplane departed Hyères-Le Palyvestre NAS near Toulon on a flight to Mont-de-Marsan Airbase, carrying 28 passengers and a crew of four. The passengers were respectively 23 Marines from the Naval School of Saint-Mandrier, four officers and the Director of the Naval School's house. All four crew members were attached to the Groupe 3/64 Bigorre at Évreux AFB. All of them were invited at Mont-de-Marsan Airbase to assist to the final of a radiophonic tournament they lost on semi-final. At 0100LT on November 25, the airplane departed Mont-de-Marsan Airfield bound to the east. En route, the crew encountered very bad weather conditions with fog and rain falls, reducing the visibility to zero. In such conditions, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane passed over the hamlet of La Sicarderie at a height of 150 meters. Less than 30 seconds later, the airplane struck trees and crashed in flames in a wooded area located in the Somail Mountain Range, about 40 km northwest of Béziers. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 32 occupants were killed.
Crew (Groupe 3/64 Bigorre from Évreux AFB):
Cpt Philippe Le Goff,
Sgt/C Robert Sonier,
Sgt/C Jean-Claude Bezanger,
Sgt/C Serge Luckel.
Passengers (accompanist officers):
Cpt Raymond Faucher,
Mrs Elisabeth Boissat, Director of the GEM House,
Ens/V Francis Coinsin,
Asp Louis Rimbaud,
M/Pr Luc Kuntz.
Passengers (Marines members of the Bagad du Groupe d’Écoles de Mécaniciens (GEM) de Saint-Mandrier):
M/Mec Pierre Nadal,
2nd M/Mec Joël Quentel,
2nd M/Mec Alain Bouydron,
QM/Mec Philippe Janin,
QM/Mec Philippe Orliac,
QM/Mec Louis Tanguy,
QM/Mec Alain Ducasse,
M/Mec Patrick Mira,
M/Mec François Chotard,
M/Mec Didier Le Goff,
M/Mec Jean-Marie Rambaud,
M/Mec Christian Dreau,
M/Mec Claude Lecoustaouec,
M/Mec Joël Jaffres,
M/Mec Guy Le Doussal,
M/Eq Jean-Marc Mule,
Mat Ben Ah-Mi,
App/Mec Alain Montas,
App/Mec Pascal Le Gall,
App/Mec Dominique Le Goff,
APP/Mec Eric Descarcin,
App/Mec Didier Terrec,
App/Mec Alain Scouarnec.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty but the assumption that the autopilot system failed in flight was not ruled out.

Crash of a Nord 2501D Noratlas at Tancos AFB: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1975 at 1714 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
6422
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Alverca – Tancos
MSN:
50
YOM:
1954
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
While approaching Tancos AFB, the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a field located 6 km west of the airfield. All eight occupants, among them three pilots, were killed.
Probable cause:
It is reported that the left engine caught fire on approach.

Crash of a Nord 2501 Noratlas near Petreto-Bicchisano: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 6, 1974
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
143
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
143
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
While in a liaison flight on behalf of 01/062 Vercors Squadron, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of Monte San Petru (1,400 meters high) located three km southeast of Petreto-Bicchisano, Corsica. The aircraft was destroyed and all four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cdt Yvon Mussetta,
Cpt Jean Bombes de Villiers,
Adj Albert Rougies,
Sgt Patrick Steffen.

Crash of a Nord 2501D Noratlas in Nicosia: 31 killed

Date & Time: Jul 22, 1974 at 0200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
52-133
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Chania - Nicosia
MSN:
35
YOM:
1954
Flight number:
Niki 4
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
28
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
31
Circumstances:
Greek troops were deployed in Cyprus following the Turkish invasion. While on a night approach to Nicosia Airport under callsign 'Niki 4', the airplane was mistakenly shot down by Greek soldiers based by the airport and crashed in flames 3 km short of runway. A passenger was injured while 31 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Mistakenly shot down by friendly ground fire.

Crash of a Nord 2502F Noratlas in Mueda: 11 killed

Date & Time: May 2, 1973 at 1830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
6411
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Porto Amélia - Mueda
MSN:
F.5
YOM:
1953
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
On approach to Mueda Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with low clouds and limited visibility. The pilot-in-command descended too low on final when the airplane struck the ground and crashed short of runway 16 threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 11 occupants were killed, among them two civilians and two officers.
Probable cause:
Too low approach in marginal weather conditions.

Ground accident of a Nord 2501D Noratlas in Israel

Date & Time: Apr 18, 1973
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
4X-FAO/072
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
89
YOM:
1956
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Parked on apron, the airplane was completing an engine run with three technicians on board. The airplane jumped over the chocks, rolled for few meters before colliding with a concrete wall. All three occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.